Jean Tassel's workshop, 17th century

Workshop of JEAN TASSEL (Langres, 1608, in Langres- 1667)
"Scene of interior of the body of guard".
Oil on canvas.
Relined.
Reproduction with variations of Tassel's composition in the Bredius Museum in The Hague (inv. no. 65-1946).
Measurements: 48 x 66 cm; 61 x 79 cm (frame).

In this remarkable work, attributed to the workshop of the French painter Jean Tassel, we enter an atmosphere of tavern and military leisure, a recurring theme in the genre painting of the seventeenth century. The piece, an "Interior Scene of the Guard Corps", is a replica with interesting variations of an original composition by Tassel in the Bredius Museum in The Hague (inv. no. 65).

The scene takes place in a rustic and somber interior, where the light bursts in from the left to model the figures and accentuate the vivacity of the moment. Three main characters and a fourth in the half-light articulate the composition. In the center, a young soldier, dressed in a blue doublet and vibrant red breeches, becomes the focus of attention. With an expansive and jovial gesture, he raises his wine glass in a toast, directly questioning the viewer and endowing the scene with a captivating spontaneity. His casual posture, with one leg stretched out on the bench, denotes a relaxation that contrasts with the rigidity of military life.

To his right, another soldier, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and feathers, leans over the table, absorbed in the preparation of his pipe, a detail that evokes simple, everyday pleasures. On the far left, a third figure, in profile and wearing a helmet, indulges in the same vice, while on the table are some cards, suggesting that gambling is another of the guard's pastimes.

The treatment of the clothes, with their marked folds and the tactile quality of the fabrics, as well as the chiaroscuro that defines the volumes and creates an intimate atmosphere, are characteristic of Tassel's style. Trained in the family workshop and later influenced by his stay in Rome, the artist was able to assimilate the lessons of Tenebrist naturalism, adapting them to a personal language that found a considerable echo in the Burgundy and Champagne region. This work, which emanated from his workshop, is an irrefutable testimony of the diffusion of his mastery and the popularity of these genre scenes that capture, with a mixture of realism and studied theatricality, the daily life of the 17th century.

Jean Tassel was a French painter who specialized in mythological and genre scenes. He also painted some portraits. He was born into a family of painters. In addition to his father Richard (who was also an architect), his grandfather Pierre, his great-uncle Adrien and his cousin Daniel de Chaumont were all painters. His mother, Marguerite (née Louys), was the daughter of a goldsmith. She most likely received most of her training in the family workshop. Later, he traveled to Rome where, in 1634, he is listed in the register of the Basilica of Santa Maria del Popolo. It is also known that he made a copy of Raphael's "The Transfiguration". It is unknown with which living Italian painters he may have been in contact, although, judging from his use of lighting effects, he was probably influenced by the recently deceased Caravaggio. Documents from 1636 indicate that he was in Avignon. He returned to Langres in 1647, when he married Simone Contet. He spent the rest of his life there and held some municipal offices. Despite his rural location, he kept abreast of artistic developments in Paris and shows some influence from the works of Simon Vouet and Laurent de La Hyre. A traditional story has it that Charles Le Brun invited him to Paris to assist in the creation of decorations commissioned by King Louis XIV, but Tassel refused, preferring to stay in Langres. Like his father, his workshop received commissions from all over the province. Clients in Dijon were especially numerous, as evidenced by the number of his paintings seized from the religious communities there during the Revolution. Of particular interest is a series of works produced for the Ursuline convent, under the direction of Catherine de Montholon (1568-1650). Most of these are now in the Musée des Beaux-Arts in Dijon.